News Mississippi

New technology to crack down on underage drinking

JACKSON, Miss.- The Mississippi Alcoholic Beverage Control is using brand new technology that will allow officers to detect a real driver’s license from a fake one in order to prevent underage drinking.

“We went from homemade fake ID’s to using someone else’s fake ID to getting a legitimate looking, authentic looking ID off the internet that looks exactly like any state drivers license,” said Chief Rusty Hanna with the ABC.

The technology is called Intellicheck’s Age ID. It uses a type of scanner to check bar codes on the back of a drivers license to determine if it is valid or not. This technology can be accessed through a mobile device like a smartphone.

“This recent program we purchased with Intellicheck has made it instantanious for our guys to tell if an ID is fake or not,” said Hanna.

Over 59 percent of high school students in Mississippi admit to drinking, and 23.1 percent admit to drinking more than a few sips before they are 13.

“Underage drinking continues to be a tonic problem in Mississippi, especially in College towns with a high high number of students drinking,” said Hanna.

Underage customers were heavier consumers than adults. They drank an average of 3.6 drinks per day; in contrast, legal customers consumed only 1.6.

So far all ABC officers across the state have access to this technology and are putting it into action.